A Book a Week 2014: Made, Altered, Repaired. Week 19

Mother's Day 2014
Week of 12 May

There's a book or 2 in here, I promise. Just had to share some pictures of my fun day.

Started at home with breakfast:

 

Eggs Benedict with asparagus picked outside, fresh berries. We use the Joy of Cooking's 

Blender Hollandaise sauce

 

 the Eldest made beignets and chickory coffee.

 the boy

 girls, extra daughter

Then, off to our favorite museum, the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. Our favorite room?

The elevator:

 

My girls imitating art:

 Hanging with Matisse:

my Viking boy with a sword taller than him

 

OK, here's a book:

Frank

Oh, hey there, Japanese binding!

And, I always take pictures of books I want to copy. I like that tall skinny thing.

And the bottom left with the handmade paper and buckle.

A Book a Week 2014: Made, Altered, Repaired. Week 18

Pretty Papers
week of 5 May

One of my favorite things about making books is choosing which pretty paper to use. I collect and use (and try to find storage for) large sheets of hand decorated paper from around the world:

Here are some Italian papers:

More Italian, and some hand marbled:

Here are 3 journals I made using the Coptic stitch binding:

I also like to use Reader's Digest books because you don't need to cover them; they're already beautiful!

This is a Coptic Stitch journal I made using a Reader's Digest set of covers.

I like to cover each signature with coordinating scrapbook papers to add color.

And one more. I love this cover and the color coordination of papers and string and cover.

A Book a Week 2014: Made, Altered, Repaired. Week 17

Week of 28 April

Blank Journal from vintage book cover.

My daughter tried her hand at altering a vintage book. She loves the French language (and anything French), so was attracted to this volume. She removed the text block, but kept the Title Page and Vocabulary with which to attach a new blank text block.

Emy sewed the signatures together with a Coptic stitch and attached the block to the covers by gluing a line on the front edge and back edge of the text block.

It came out great!

A Book a Week 2014: Made, Altered, Repaired. Week 15

Week of 14 April

Bird Watching Book

My older sister moved to a beautiful new home in Northfield, MN, that is in a community that surrounds a pond. See it there behind me and my sisters?

 She has been enjoying watching wild life make use of the pond and grow their little families. This spring she noticed some new birds hanging out at the pond, and was thinking she should start keeping track of what she sees. Naturally, it was a challenge for me to make her a book in which to keep track.

I went with a modified 4-signature pamphlet stitch:

A Book a Week 2014: Made, Altered, Repaired. Week 16

Week of 21 April

The Northfield, MN Hospital Auxiliary has an amazing book sale every spring. My mom has volunteered with them for years, and always lets me know when to come to the sale. Not that I need any more books in my house:

But I can't resist vintage children's books. I'm a sucker for good illustration and binding, and primary school readers.

Love the cloth bindings:

And, I don't know why, but I freaking love SPACE illustrations from the 1950s and 1960s:

and one in French:

and look at the illustrations and color in this book about Norway:

And environmental references:

One more - this one made me laugh because my mom used to get us to do work for her by calling it "fun and games".